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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Chapter 9, the Memory Police are said to be "appearing more often in the streets" (64) riding in trucks painted what color?

2. In what location does the narrator tell R that she has found a hiding place for him?

3. The old man tells the unnamed narrator in Chapter 7 that he has lived on the island how much longer than she has?

4. On what sort of seat did the unnamed narrator used to sit as a child in her mother's studio?

5. In the opening line of Chapter 5, the unnamed narrator states that which season passes "quickly" (27)?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do the black garbage bags symbolize in Chapter 2?

2. What type of document is presented within the text for the first, but not the last, time in Chapter 6?

3. For what reason does the narrator visit R's office in Chapter 10?

4. When the narrator makes her usual stop at the ornithology observatory in Chapter 3, what does she find there?

5. What objects are disappeared within Chapter 6 and what is different about the disppearances in this chapter?

6. Once R agrees to accept the narrator's offer to hide him, what instructions does she give him?

7. What does the pair of light blue gloves symbolize, from the narrator's perspective?

8. What type of artist was the unnamed narrator's mother and why is this detail significant?

9. What particular aspect of the birds' disappearance bothers the narrator the most?

10. At what sight do the narrator and the old man gaze during their discussion of the Memory Police in Chapter 7?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay that discusses the symbolism of the cover art chosen for The Memory Police.

Essay Topic 2

What is the function of the old man's character within the novel? Discuss the characterization methods used by Ogawa in depicting the old man and include in your discussion the reasons that Ogawa portrays him in these particular ways.

Essay Topic 3

Choose an object from The Memory Police, such as the cabinet, the birdcages, the garbage bags, or some other symbolic object and discuss its overall meaning and its connection to themes within the text.

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